Five platinum players were overlooked, including Andre Russell and Faf du Plessis, with English cricketers in high demand

Andrew McGlashan29-Aug-2022Adelaide StrikersDraft signings: Rashid Khan, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Hose
Current list: Wes Agar, Cameron Boyce, Alex Carey, Harry Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Ryan Gibson, Travis Head, Adam Hose, Henry Hunt, Rashid Khan, Thomas Kelly, Chris Lynn, Harry Nielsen, Matt Short, Henry Thornton, Jake Weatherald (16/18 filled)The least surprising move on draft night was Strikers using their retention card for Rashid Khan when Melbourne Stars made a bid for him. They expect to get about eight games from Rashid before he heads to South Africa for the new T20 league there.However, things got interesting after Rashid was held on to. Colin de Grandhomme’s name took everyone by surprise, not because he isn’t a fine cricketer, but because his name wasn’t on the lists released earlier in the week. ESPNcricinfo understands that he had nominated in time, but his paperwork took a bit longer to work its way through. There remains some uncertainty over his availability.Adam Hose, the 29-year-old English batter, was their final selection, on the weight of some outstanding domestic numbers: Hose made 557 runs at 55.70 and a strike rate of 160.98 in this year’s T20 Blast and is also having a strong Hundred season for Northern Superchargers. He also has full availability, which added to his value and other teams were also interested in him.Overall, Strikers potentially remain a little light on pace bowling.On the move: Sam Billings will swap Sydney Thunder for Brisbane Heat•Getty ImagesBrisbane HeatDraft signings: Sam Billings, Colin Munro, Ross Whiteley
Current list: Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Sam Billings, Max Bryant, Sam Heazlett, Usman Khawaja, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Munro, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Mitchell Swepson, Ross Whiteley, Jack Wildermuth (16/18 filled)A solid evening’s work from Heat. Sam Billings will bring quality to the middle order – and is a superb outfielder – before leaving for the UAE in January, after Sydney Thunder opted not to use their retention option, although there is a chance he could be part of England’s Test squad in Pakistan which would mean missing early games as well.They were also able to keep hold of Colin Munro, who could have gone back to Perth Scorchers. Currently, Munro is listed as having full availability, but he does have a deal with Desert Vipers in the ILT20.Ross Whiteley, the 33-year-old English batter, is the more left-field selection but the powerful left-hander has solid T20 pedigree, though he had a lean T20 Blast for Hampshire this season. He will likely be used as a finisher.With Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne available after the Tests there is some quality batting to return for the backend.There will be a strong Pakistan contingent at Hobart Hurricanes•PCBHobart HurricanesDraft signings: Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf
Current list: Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Caleb Jewell, Shadab Khan, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D’Arcy Short, Matthew Wade (13/18 filled)Related

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This was fascinating from Ricky Ponting. Hurricanes have brought in three Pakistan players with the hope they will have extensive availability.Shadab, who was their platinum pick, fills a clear hole they had in the spin department [although they may still need more cover] and Asif Ali has been picked with a specific middle-order role in mind behind the likes of Ben McDermott, Matthew Wade and D’Arcy Short. He has an overall T20 strike rate of 147.85, which goes up to 158.80 at No. 5. Both could be involved in some white-ball cricket against New Zealand, but Ponting expected them to be around most of the BBL.Faheem Ashraf is in the curious position of having lost his PCB contract but still being in the frame for the Test side, which is in action during December. Hurricanes still have five slots left for domestic players.Melbourne RenegadesDraft signings: Liam Livingstone, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Akeal Hosein
Current list: Nic Maddinson, Zak Evans, Aaron Finch, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Sam Harper, Mackenzie Harvey, Akeal Hosein, Liam Livingstone, Shaun Marsh, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Kane Richardson, Tom Rogers, Jon Wells (13/18 filled)They had the first pick and went with Liam Livingstone, who will bring some star quality to the middle order, although he may have to adjust to the trickier surfaces at Marvel Stadium. Where he bats remains to be seen, but top four would appear a certainty.Elsewhere, there was a strong spin focus with Renegades’ home conditions in mind. Heat decided against retaining Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is as valuable for his economy as his wicket-taking, and he found a new home in Melbourne.Akeal Hosein, the West Indies left-arm spinner who has a T20 economy rate of 6.44, was their final name and, with him and Mujeeb having ILT20 deals, it means Renegades will lose all three signings during the season. They also have plenty of room left in their 18-player squad, and are currently light on pace bowling.Trent Boult will bring high-quality pace to Stars•BCCIMelbourne StarsDraft signings: Trent Boult, Joe Clarke, Luke Wood
Current list: Trent Boult, Joe Burns, Hilton Cartwright, Joe Clarke, Brody Couch, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Liam Hatcher, Clint Hinchliffe, Nick Larkin, Glenn Maxwell, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Beau Webster, Luke Wood, Adam Zampa (15/18 filled)Stars were quick to go for Trent Boult after the expected retention of Rashid by Strikers and he should make a big impression with the new ball before heading to the UAE.After that, they delved into the English game. It had been widely expected that they would go for Joe Clarke again, because he offered them the wicketkeeping option they needed in the squad and has full availability. He made a very strong impression with the club last season amid the Covid chaos.Luke Wood, the Lancashire seamer, offers another left-arm option with full availability. David Hussey knows him from his days at Nottinghamshire. He was selected in England’s ODI squad for the Netherlands series earlier this year.It was no surprise that Perth Scorchers went for Laurie Evans•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesPerth ScorchersDraft signings: Laurie Evans, Phil Salt, Tymal Mills
Current list: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Cooper Connolly, Laurie Evans, Aaron Hardie, Peter Hatzoglou, Nick Hobson, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Tymal Mills, Lance Morris, Jhye Richardson, Phil Salt, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye (18/18 filled)They were tipped to skip platinum and did just that despite David Willey’s availability. They used their retention option to keep Laurie Evans, who played the match-winning innings of last year’s final, after Sydney Sixers picked him, with his full availability a huge factor.Phil Salt, who has previously played for Strikers and is also likely to be around most of the tournament, although he may be on England duty at the backend, has been drafted in. But Scorchers will now get Cameron Green after the Tests.Left-armer Tymal Mills, another Scorchers player from last season, adds an edge to the bowling attack if he can stay fit. Their list is complete except for any replacements. They will hope to see plenty of Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh and Jhye Richardson, now that expanded Test squads aren’t required.James Vince will again line up for Sydney Sixers, but only for part of the tournament•Getty ImagesSydney SixersDraft signings: Chris Jordan, James Vince, Izharulhaq Naveed
Current list: Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Daniel Christian, Ben Dwarshuis, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Chris Jordan, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon, Izharulhaq Naveed, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Jordan Silk, James Vince (15/18 filled)Two very expected names and a bit of a bolter.Sixers know what they get from Chris Jordan and James Vince and very much like it, despite their limited availability. Jordan forms a strong line-up of quicks alongside Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Ben Dwarshuis and last year’s breakout star Hayden Kerr. Vince can resume his opening pairing with Josh Philippe until January.The left-field pick was young Afghanistan spinner Izharulhaq Naveed, who coach Greg Shipperd appeared very excited about. Nathan Lyon will return after the Tests and there remains hope that Steven Smith could still join him despite declining an initial offer.David Willey was the one platinum player with complete availability•Getty ImagesSydney ThunderDraft signings: David Willey, Alex Hales, Rilee Rossouw
Current list: Ollie Davies, Brendan Doggett, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Alex Hales, Baxter Holt, Nathan McAndrew, Alex Ross, Rilee Rossouw, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, David Warner, David Willey (14/18 filled)This feels like a very strong draft from Thunder.They have a versatile allrounder in David Willey, who is available all tournament, the power and known quality of Alex Hales for a decent chunk, and the left-handed Rilee Rossouw to slot into the middle order before the South Africa league.Losing both Hales and Rossouw will make batting replacements key, but David Warner will come in at the top for the last five regular season matches. Could probably do with some more pace options.

Pakistan rode a wave of sentiment to the MCG, echos of 1992 reverberating all around, but England’s cold, hard pragmatism proved an insurmountable breakwater

Danyal Rasool13-Nov-20222:34

Mumtaz: Shaheen’s injury tilted the contest dramatically in England’s favour

Mohammad Rizwan faces the first ball of the Men’s T20 World Cup final at the MCG, a sea of green roaring him on. His innings ends up being the sort that fuels his critics’ arguments rather than dousing them, a scratchy 15 off 14 before Sam Curran – whose phenomenal night matches his phenomenal tournament – cleans him up.Less than two years ago, Rizwan found himself on the brink in T20 cricket, batting to save his white-ball career in a nondescript T20I in New Zealand. If you had told him then he would be disappointed to spearhead a team that finished runners-up at a T20 World Cup in Australia, he might have given you a funny look.Mohammad Haris comes in to replace him. Less than two weeks ago, he wasn’t even part of this World Cup squad, with little name recognition outside of the more ardent followers of the Pakistan Super League. He is now suddenly the most exciting power-hitter of his side. But he is still young, and England are canny. Curran ties him in knots, before Adil Rashid, sensing his frustration, draws him into a slog to finish him off. Eight off 12 is not the innings Pakistan needed from him but, then again, he is part of the reason there is an innings that needs playing in this World Cup final in the first place. It’ll be a bitter memory for him, but till very recently he would have never imagined he would be here to experience it.

****

Such stories are sprinkled throughout this Pakistan side, an extension of the utter implausibility of the very idea that Pakistan would play this final. But having got here on a tidal wave of sentiment they rode all the way through the Sydney semi-final, the belief that surges through them is intoxicating, and has infected a whole nation. The overwhelmingly Pakistani crowd at the MCG is caught up in it, too, just like they were at the SCG.Related

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They face, in England, an all-time great white-ball side. They have Jos Buttler and Alex Hales – two of the most explosive batters to open the innings – while Pakistan have Babar Azam and Rizwan, openers so classical they might actually have looked at home in 1992. They beat eventual semi-finalists New Zealand and Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka to get through the group stages, while Pakistan relied on a Dutch upset of South Africa. They are likely to be found talking about match-ups and analytics, while Pakistan speak of and 1992.England duly set about methodically stripping away the emotion of the occasion. Chris Woakes is England’s most economical bowler in the powerplay, and he bowls three while the field is up. Shan Masood, who is in after Haris falls, scores at less than a run-a-ball against Chris Jordan. And it’s Jordan who has been called up to bowl the very next over.In the pressure cooker that is the MCG, Pakistan, meanwhile, slip back into the comfort blanket of familiarity. Shadab Khan’s fifty against South Africa from No. 7 was one of Pakistan’s most dynamic innings this tournament, but his usefulness to the side almost counts against him when Haris falls. Deployed shrewdly on occasion as a lower-value wicket who can bring quick runs, today, Pakistan need his runs so badly after their slow start that he becomes much more than that and Pakistan can’t bring themselves to bravely frontload. Even though Rashid’s got five balls to go in the over, and it’s the phase of the game England like to squeeze in a few overs from Liam Livingstone.Why did Pakistan not gamble with Shadab Khan up the order when they needed his runs oh so dearly?•Associated PressWhen England overplay their hand, looking to sneak in an over from Livingstone just after the drinks break, Masood pounces, plundering 16 off him. Babar falls off the first ball of the following Rashid over, but Pakistan are superbly placed – 84 for 3 in 11.1, well set for a big finish that should make them favourites given the freak of nature that is their bowling attack. It feels like Shadab was put on earth for this moment, but… Iftikhar Ahmed is walking out to bat.There is reward to be had for courage, and in the minutes that follow, Pakistan are forced to come to terms with the penalty to be paid for timidity. Rashid toys with Iftikhar, flighting the ball and taking pace off it. It’s hard to imagine he would have been allowed that luxury against Shadab. Six (dot) balls later, Iftikhar has fallen for a duck.Shadab walks out now, but England will only need to bowl one more over of spin. They have Curran and Jordan to bowl the final four overs, and as England hit their heights at the death, Pakistan’s death batting – thin as it looks – is stripped to the bone. Curran’s tortuous variations see him snare Masood and Mohammad Nawaz – another man Pakistan decided against promoting despite recent success. Jordan, from the other end, dismisses Shadab and Mohammad Wasim – who Pakistan call a T20 allrounder for perhaps no other reason than it makes them feel better. Just 18 come off the final four as Pakistan hobble to 137 – the joint second-lowest first-innings total in a Men’s T20 World Cup final.Pakistan’s batters and bowlers seem to find themselves in that stereotypical South Asian parent-child relationship, where all achievements are immediately invalidated by the parent promptly setting their child an even stiffer task. Pakistan’s batters seem to be cruelly adept at this staircase to impossibility exercise. You can reduce India to 31 for 4 just outside the powerplay? Well, first you have to get all the runs at the death too. You can restrict Zimbabwe to 130? Afraid it’s not quite low enough. You’ll keep Bangladesh to 127? Not bad, but see how hard we need to work to chase these down? You want to win a World Cup final? Defend 137 against the greatest T20I batting line-up there has ever been.Pakistan’s bowlers did what Pakistan’s bowlers usually do, but tonight it was not enough•ICC via Getty ImagesAnd with the sheer ludicrousness of the challenge that faces them, Pakistan’s bowlers set about trying. Shaheen Shah Afridi gets Hales first over. Haris Rauf is too good for Phil Salt, and even too quick for Buttler. Naseem Shah bowls the spell of his life, one to invalidate any specious scorecard evaluation of his figures. Afridi dives to dismiss Harry Brook, and a knee that was so recently mended seems to have come undone once more.But Stokes and England are much too cold, much too calculated, not to realise what’s really going on. Stokes may be 24 off 34 at one point, but he knows Pakistan’s bowlers are roaring in defence of a paper tiger of a target, doing so with a bowling line-up that’s lost its leader to injury. The performance has caught the mood of the crowd, not because the match situation favours them, but because belief is the drug Pakistan cricket thrives on, and the fast bowlers have just given them another hit.The elixir of 1992 might give Pakistan life, but Pakistan don’t have Imran Khan on this pitch, while England do have Ben Stokes. He will hit the shot that takes this England side to white-ball immortality, once and for all putting paid to Pakistan’s hopes. It seemed unbelievable that Pakistan would be here, and yet, their fans can’t quite believe they haven’t lifted the trophy. It just about sums up Pakistan cricket.A week ago, Pakistan would have imagined they would be on a flight home very soon. Then, the stars aligned. They gave their fans that surreal afternoon at the Adelaide Oval, before taking them on a starry journey in Sydney. They had hoped for magic in Melbourne but pitted against England’s method, they ended up short. It might sting for a while, but the last week just about encapsulates why Pakistan fill out stadiums from Melbourne to Manchester, London to Lahore.And while the mystique of 1992 may live on, on a clinical night in Melbourne in 2022, England found the most prosaic way to kill it off.

The numbers that mattered as a high-scoring thriller between RCB and CSK went down to the last over

Sampath Bandarupalli18-Apr-202333 The number of sixes hit in the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, the joint highest in an IPL game. This has happened twice before, with CSK involved in both the previous games: RCB vs CSK in 2018 in Bengaluru, and Rajasthan Royals vs CSK in 2020 in Sharjah.Related

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444 Total runs scored by RCB and CSK at in Bengaluru on Monday – the sixth highest aggregate for an IPL match and the highest in Bengaluru. The most runs scored in an IPL match at this venue before this was 425 during last week’s contest between RCB and Lucknow Super Giants.226 for 6 CSK’s total in this match was their third highest in the IPL. Their highest score in the league is 246 for 5 against Royals in 2010, while their second highest is 240 for 5 against Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in 2008.ESPNcricinfo Ltd226 CSK’s total was also the highest by a visiting team in Bengaluru, surpassing Kolkata Knight Riders’ 222 on the opening night of the IPL in 2008. It is also the third highest score conceded by RCB.17 Sixes hit by CSK in their innings, their joint most in an IPL match. They have hit 17 sixes on three occasions previously, including twice against RCB in 2018 and 2022.15 The number of sixes Shivam Dube has hit against RCB in 105 balls across three innings. Dube has scored 193 runs at a strike rate of 183.8 and an average of 96.5 against his former franchise. At the same time, he averages 20.29 against the other IPL franchises.RCB – Shivam Dube’s favourite opponents•ESPNcricinfo Ltd75 for 2 RCB’s powerplay score in this match was their second highest in the IPL. Their highest powerplay total is 79 for 1 against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011.36 The number of runs Faf du Plessis’ reprieve by MS Dhoni in the second over of the chase cost CSK. Du Plessis was dropped on 0 off the second ball he faced. He finished with 62 off 33 balls. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Luck Index, the other batters would have scored 26 off 31 had the catch been taken.

After starting his Sunrisers stint with three low scores, he smashed a 55-ball century as an opener

Sreshth Shah15-Apr-20232:28

Moody: Brook is a sensational talent in all formats

When it came to Harry Brook, it was never a question of “if”; rather, only “when”. Having built a sensational body of work in his early international career, before making his IPL debut, there was a sense of inevitability.It didn’t happen in the first three games, in part because Sunrisers Hyderabad struggled in two of those and Brook had to mould his game accordingly. But on Friday against Kolkata Knight Riders, Brook showed why he’s being billed as a superstar for the future. Having been promoted to the top order, he scored the season’s first century – and his second T20 ton – off only 55 balls.There had been plenty of things going against him. Kolkata welcomed him with the day’s temperatures touching 41, humidity levels at almost 100%, and an Eden Gardens crowd aching to see him fail a fourth time. With scores of 13, 3 and 13 in his first three IPL innings, the price-tag pressure of INR 13.25 crore (approx. US $1.61m) mounted. Checking his social-media mentions after those three failures didn’t help him either.Related

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“I was putting pressure on myself a little bit for the first few games,” Brook said after his unbeaten 100 took Sunrisers to victory. “I went on to social media, people were calling me rubbish, and you start to doubt yourself a little bit.”The pressure was not apparent on the field, though. Brook began his innings by smacking four fours and two sixes in the first three overs of the game, bowled by Umesh Yadav and Lockie Ferguson.The two fast bowlers stuck to an off-stump line but Brook sent those balls to three distinct places. His quick skips to the leg side sent cuts through point for four. When he walked towards off, he got low to scoop those same balls over short fine leg. When he didn’t move, his full face of the bat sent the ball to long-off. At one stage, he had raced away to 31 off 11.But for Brook, this was a relatively new job. In 93 T20 innings before the IPL, he had opened only three times. His imperious T20 numbers – an average of 34.14 and a strike rate of 147.77 – have been built from Nos. 4 to 6 with England, Yorkshire, Northern Superchargers, Lahore Qalandars and Hobart Hurricanes.Harry Brook hit the pace bowlers for 66 off 26 balls at Eden Gardens•AFP/Getty ImagesHowever, the middle order was not the right fit for an IPL rookie like Brook. He was struggling against spin – a strike rate of 80, and an average of 6 told the story – in the middle overs, and teams were beginning to target him with that match-up. So when regular opener Abhishek Sharma was briefly out with injury and Anmolpreet Singh didn’t impress, Brook was asked to open. On Friday, the start was promising.Brook’s burst had given Sunrisers such a headstart that Knight Riders were forced to introduce spin early. This was going to be his acid test and he passed it by tossing the strike over to Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram and Abhishek, who are all more adept at playing spin. Brook didn’t hit a boundary between the sixth and 14th overs; it was the boundaries from the other end – in particular from Markram during his half-century – that kept the score ticking towards 200.But when most of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy’s overs were done, Brook re-emerged. Knight Riders brought pace back in the form of Ferguson, and Brook charged at him to hit for four fours and a six in the 15th over. Suyash Sharma and Shardul Thakur weren’t spared either as Brook reached his century with a single to long-on. Brook looked exhausted but flashed a smile.There was also a sense of satisfaction in his smile. He had perfectly executed the plan, playing to his strengths and letting others show off theirs. He took 34 runs off 29 against the spinners, while smashing the pacers for 66 off 26.

“I have had quite a lot of success batting at No. 5 and made my name batting at No. 5, but I’m happy to do this”Harry Brook doesn’t mind a shift up the order

“I went out with an ‘I-don’t-care’ mentality tonight, and thankfully it paid off,” Brook said. “Indian fans out there are probably going to say ‘Well done’ tonight, but they were slagging me off a few days ago. Glad that I could shut them up.”A lot of people say that opening the batting in T20 is the best time to bat; you’ve only got two fielders out. But I’m happy to bat anywhere. [I] have [had] quite a lot of success batting at No. 5 and made my name batting at No. 5, but I’m happy to do this. Unfortunately my four Test hundreds will have to be above this one, but this is definitely up there.”In the post-game press conference, Abhishek revealed that the decision to bump Brook to the top was taken by head coach Brian Lara and the management after his own injury. Abhishek said that that Brook’s struggles against spin were acknowledged in the set-up, and therefore he was moved up the order.It resulted in Abhishek moving down the order, but he was fine with the decision. Abhishek said he knew about Brook’s talent from way back – they were India Under-19 and England Under-19 captains respectively when the two teams had met during a tour of the UK in 2017.There was just one thing missing in Brook’s perfect day, and that was his parents not being there to witness it. They had travelled with Sunrisers for three games, but left for the UK before the Kolkata fixture. Brook said that he had a funny feeling that fate would have a cruel way to now give him the gift of runs. And we have a feeling that his parents will get plenty of opportunities in the years to come.

Also: how did Suryakumar make it to the ODI World Cup squad?

Shashank Kishore05-Sep-20238:02

Jaffer: Would have preferred Tilak Varma in India’s squad

Kishan v Rahul: Who will win the race?

It’s a massive show of confidence from the selectors and team management to pick KL Rahul despite him having not played a competitive game since May. But this faith perhaps stems from knowing India have possibly four – if they make the final – Asia Cup games followed three ODIs against Australia to give him a decent run of games to test his readiness.As such, teams have a provision to change their squad without ICC’s clearance until September 28, by when the ODIs against Australia would’ve ended.Rahul’s utility as a wicketkeeper-batter in the middle order first took shape in January 2020 after Rishabh Pant was concussed. Rahul responded with a 52-ball 80 at No. 5 in India’s series-levelling win over Australia in Rajkot. After that series, Kohli was unequivocal in his support for Rahul and the need to give him more opportunities, both with the gloves and in the middle order before being judged.Related

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Kohli is no longer India’s captain, but Rahul continues to enjoy that support even from the current team management. Since January 2020, in 17 innings at No. 5, Rahul averages 56.53 and strikes at 99.45 with seven half-centuries and a hundred. However, the road back to No. 5 may not be straightforward.Chief selector Ajit Agarkar, too, didn’t quite reveal who the first-choice wicketkeeper will be. That’s because Ishan Kishan, the incumbent, has enhanced his credentials in recent times. Kishan not only brings in the left-handed element India’s top order currently lacks, especially with Tilak Varma out, but he has also shown versatility in batting anywhere as the team requires him to.2:21

‘There’s a possibility that both Rahul and Kishan can play together’

Opening the batting, he struck the fastest ODI double-ton in Bangladesh in December last year. More recently, he’s on a run of four consecutive half-centuries (three in the West Indies and one in the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan). The innings against Pakistan was particularly impressive as it was a rearguard effort under pressure at No. 5, a position he’d never batted in earlier. His 81-ball 82 in a century stand with Hardik Pandya lifted India from the depths of 66 for 4 against one of the world’s best limited-overs attacks currently.”It’s a good headache to have,” Agarkar said on Tuesday after announcing India’s World Cup squad. “Ishan played a lovely innings [against Pakistan]. He generally opens but you’d rather have that headache [over who the first-choice wicketkeeper will be] to deal with than not have it. When he comes [KL Rahul] there will be a conversation, but at least you have two options. The captain-coach will sit down and decide what’s best for the team on a given day. We’re happy to have two options who will fight for a place in the team than the other way round.”

Suryakumar pips Tilak

With Shreyas Iyer set to get enough game time at No. 4, India could’ve opted for one of Kishan or Rahul to also double up as the reserve batter too. This would’ve freed up a slot to pick a genuine offspinner, which Agarkar acknowledged can make a difference, or maybe even an extra seamer, like Prasidh Krishna.However, the selectors have opted for some batting insurance by picking Suryakumar Yadav – more on experience than recent form. As such, Suryakumar’s ODI numbers are middling. It’s something he himself touched upon as “not good enough” recently. Suryakumar has been part of India’s ODI set-up for over a year now, and averages in the mid-20s across 24 innings. In comparison, Tilak, who is part of the Asia Cup squad, is uncapped in the format and is only a handful of games old in international cricket.1:05

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Can Axar and Jadeja feature in the same XI?

Axar Patel made his debut in 2014 and has played 52 ODIs till date. Out of these, only eight have featured both him and Ravindra Jadeja in the same XI. This is largely down to both being left-arm spinning allrounders who are seen as competitors for one spot in the XI.At this World Cup, there’s little doubt that Jadeja is an automatic shoo-in as the spin-bowling allrounder, potentially at No. 7. But because India want batting depth beyond No. 7 – a point Rohit seemed to stress on – there’s a realistic possibility of India having Jadeja atNo.7 and one of Axar or Shardul Thakur at No.8 based on conditions, in addition to Kuldeep Yadav as the frontline wristspinner.